Operation Purple Martin

Operation Purple Martin was a US Marine Corps military operation of the Vietnam War which occurred from 1 March to 8 May 1969.

In February 1969, US reconnaissance detected that three NVA regiments were moving south from the Vietnamese DMZ, so the US 4th Marine Regiment at the Vandegrift Combat Base was given the mission of forcing the NVA 246th Regiment back into the DMZ. From 2 to 5 March, the Marines secured Landing Zone Mack from the NVA, and they moved on to reopen Landing Zone Catapult in the Cam Lo Valley. It was not until 11 March that the Marines took the next landing zone, as poor weather had prevented them from receiving air support. On 13 March, the Marines took Landing Zone Sierra and repelled an NVA counterattack the next day. From 20 March and through April, the Marines fought to secure the area around Firebase Argonne, and, on 25 April, with the area secure, they were able to move south from the DMZ. 100 Marines and over 347 NVA troops were killed in action.